Must-read romances: 'Just for Christmas Night,' 'The Lodge on Holly Road,' 'Cowboys for Christmas'

Just for Christmas Night by Lisa Marie Perry

What it's about (courtesy of Harlequin Kimani):

Pro football publicist Martha Blue has something to prove. To protect the image of the Las Vegas Slayers—and stay employed—she has to shed her party-girl reputation. Fast! So no more mistakes. No further scandals. And absolutely no falling for the one man who can give her everything she wants…and nothing of what she needs.

Danger and desire never mixed well for undefeated prizefighter Joaquin Ryder. A friend of the Blue family, he's a man who knows his boundaries…boundaries he has secretly crossed only once before. Now that he's back in Sin City to train for the biggest fight of his career, he can't afford to let a sexy distraction like Martha put him against the ropes. Revisiting their sizzling past is something he isn't willing to risk—until a steamy Yuletide encounter, where for just one night, they'll surrender completely….

Why you should read it: Just for Christmas Night has a gritty, sexy energy that provides a mesmerizing backdrop for a single-minded hero, a rebellious heroine, and their raw, unworkable romance. The story is engrossing, the prose an amazing complement to the book's borderline brutal atmosphere, though it's a brutality that's more emotional than physical.

Beautiful destruction. That was Martha. Spontaneity and lust and complication packaged in a little-bit-of-nothing dress that appeared too flimsy for a fifty-degree December day and cemented Joaquin's belief that he would never see a sexier pair of legs.

Joaquin and Martha are ruthlessly honest with each other—their desire for each other can never morph into any kind of commitment because Joaquin will always be a fighter and Martha wants a white-picket-fence family. Ruthlessness is also a recurring theme in the Blue family dynamics. Martha's parents, especially her mother, tend toward manipulation and condescension, and the fostered teen desperate for Martha's attention lives in daily fear for her safety. I loved that Joaquin stood up for Martha, but I loved it even more when she stood up for herself. In the meantime, the juxtaposition of manipulation and truth is as genuine as it is disturbing, and the constant push and pull when it comes to boundaries provides some surprising complications.

Perry creates fascinating characters that inspire immediate reader allegiance, and she places them in an array of vivid and effective settings that run the gamut from a decades-old gym to the ultimate in luxury hotels on the Vegas strip. She chooses her words carefully, and they deftly reflect the story's grit and glitz.

Just for Christmas Night is the third installment in Perry's The Blue Dynasty series. It's a sexy and sophisticated story that's not so much about a heartwarming holiday, but about how love can shed light across darkness. This book is a solid addition to my TBRA pile—To Be Read Again.

The Lodge on Holly Road by Sheila Roberts

What it's about (courtesy of Harlequin Mira):

James Claussen has played Santa for years, but now that he's a widower, he's lost interest—in everything. So his daughter, Brooke, kidnaps him from the mall (in his Santa suit!) and takes him to Icicle Falls. She's arranged a special Christmas at the lodge owned by long-widowed Olivia Wallace and her son, Eric. And yet…Brooke wants Dad to be happy, but she's not ready to see someone else's mommy kissing Santa Claus.

Single mom Missy Monroe brings her kids to the lodge, too. Lalla wants a grandma for Christmas, and her brother, Carlos, wants a dog. Missy can't provide either one. What she'd like is an attractive, dependable man. A man like John Truman… But John's girlfriend will be joining him in Icicle Falls, and he's going to propose.

Of course not everything goes as planned. But sometimes the best gifts are the ones you don't expect!

Why you should read it: If Icicle Creek Lodge wasn't a fictional holiday haven, the place would be booked solid through the next ten years. Any reader who ventures into Sheila Roberts' Icicle Falls is in immediate love—with the whimsical West Coast setting; the community's endearing residents; their sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes humorous troubles; and their year-round spirit of giving. This radiant story follows several families as they struggle to recover the Christmas spirit they don't always know they're missing. Still, The Lodge on Holly Road is a perfect read for any time of the year.

In this sixth book in her Life in Icicle Falls series, Roberts invites her readers not only into Icicle Creek Lodge, but into the lives of love-seekers of all ages. This widens not only the story's scope, but its already substantial appeal, and by the end of the book, provides a true family feel. Not everyone wants to be at the lodge, and not everyone is looking forward to Christmas—the characters' journeys from heavy-hearted to hopeful are individually sweet, engrossing, and ultimately uplifting.

Oftentimes hilarious, too. The Christmas charades will have you laughing out loud, as will the antics of a puppy in need of a home:

"The leash is in the bag in the backseat, along with the toys and the dog dish," Eric said.

She nodded and leaned over, removing the leash from the bag. Then she walked around to the back and opened it." Here we are, boy."

Before she could even grab the dog's collar he was out of the vehicle and bounding off in the snow. "Oh, no! Come back! Here, boy!"

Boy had no intention of coming back. With a wail Olivia started running after the dog, slipping and sliding in the snow.

Eric was past her in a shot. Now Eric and the dog were doing a lap around the lodge. Oh yeah, this was fun. Nothing he liked better than doing laps behind a dog butt. "Come here, damn it," he growled.

"Aarf!" replied the dog, which, translated, probably meant "Bite me, sucker."

The Lodge on Holly Road is the ultimate in feel-good family drama and heart-melting romance. Plus there's the added bonus of getting to celebrate the season with a community that couldn't be more devoted to Christmas.

Cowboys for Christmas anthology

What it's about (courtesy of InterMix):

Claire, Georgia, and Mary Catherine couldn't be more different, but they promised they would be there for one another no matter what. And when they all gather in Holly Hills, Texas, for Mary Catherine's Christmas wedding, they'll find they have one thing in common: hearts that are about to be branded—by unforgettable cowboys.

Love Me, Cowboy by Terri Osburn

Wallflower Claire would be more excited about the wedding if it didn't mean running into Mary Catherine's brother—the bull rider she once had a scorching one-night stand with…

Kiss Me, Cowboy by Liz Talley

Ivy League volleyball coach Georgia never wanted to see Holly Hills—or another cowboy—again. But a sexy veterinarian is making her rethink her vow to never marry a Texas man.

Marry Me, Cowboy by Kim Law

Claire and Georgia both think that Mary Catherine is getting hitched to the wrong man, despite how perfect he is. A local rancher with a wild reputation gives Mary Catherine a glimpse of what might have been—and what could still be...

Why you should read it:

Love Me, Cowboy opens with a cupcake mishap that makes for an entertaining, wince-worthy meet-cute and sets the stage for one sweet reunion romance. Claire and Tyler have been in love with each other for four years, but neither will admit it, certain that the other has long since moved on. Watching these two work their halting way toward a happy ever after is a delight.

And then, as he pushed the hat back off his forehead, a beam of sun like a perfectly timed spotlight streaked out of the east, blanketing the cowboy in golden light. Claire's galloping heart came to a full stop as Tyler Holly's green eyes met her own.

Her best friend's younger brother, Tyler, was also the man who'd stolen Claire's heart many years before. Not that he was aware of doing so. Nor would Claire ever sink to admitting the fact. She'd humiliated herself enough where this cowboy was concerned.

The author's prose is vivid, the story's pace ideal. The main characters are appealing and well-motivated, and the secondaries offer a fun and full-fledged balance, though poor Claire's mother seems overly spiteful. Claire's body image issues are agonizingly realistic, and Tyler's confusion about those issues are oh, so endearing. With Love Me, Cowboy, Osburn writes a sexy, satisfying novella, and provides an intriguing setup for the second and third stories in the set.

Kiss Me, Cowboy: Oh, this was a heart-tugging hoot. Georgia's sassy, sardonic tone drew me in from the start, especially when it became clear that her bouts of testiness mask a touching insecurity. Not only can Reed give as good as he gets, he turns out to be the only man who's ever seen the sensitive, generous woman behind the prickly facade—a woman who doesn't recognize her own yearning to be loved.

Georgia knew cowboys were her personal crack, but she'd been in rehab for the last eight years, living on the East Coast, dating guys who thought western wear was Ralph Lauren. So when long legs encapsulated in a pair of dark blue Wranglers, broad shoulders in a traditional pearl-snap Western shirt and a gray Stetson moved her way, she repeated the mantra she'd started in her head when she crossed the Texas state line.

You do not want any of that. You do not want any of that.

But dear God, he was pretty as a bluebonnet.

Reed knows Georgia isn't a fit for his future, either, but he can't keep away. The sexual tension is heady stuff here, and when these two finally do get to making hay, it's a wonder the straw doesn't catch fire. All these two want is to belong to someone and it's pure reader agony, in the most delicious sense, seeing them deny their destiny. Kiss Me, Cowboy is another rich and lively Texas romance from Liz Talley. With her signature sexy humor and irresistible story craft, she deftly fits a complex, captivating tale into a compact package.

Marry Me, Cowboy: Thanks to some seductive, well-placed details woven into the first two stories in the Cowboys for Christmas anthology, I knew who Mary Catherine wanted, who Mary Catherine didn't want, and I had a pretty good idea of who wanted her. What I didn't know was why she and Jax couldn't be together, but I was more than ready to find out. And boy, howdy, did Kim Law fill me in, with a potent, poignant romance and a gratifying finish to the Holly Hills trilogy.

"You're a freaking saint," Mary Catherine accused.

"Bull." He took a step toward her now. He was tired of talking about himself. In fact, he wanted to talk about something else. Specifically, them.

"You are." She jabbed a finger at his chest. "You strut around town, acting like you're all bad, and nobody better bother you. And all the while you're Mary Freaking Poppins to those kids."

"I'm not." He took another step. He wanted her in his bed. And in his life.

"A freaking saint," she tossed back.

He got right up in her face then. She held her breath, and he couldn't miss the glint of excitement that rushed through her eyes.

"Would a saint corner an engaged woman at her own party and offer to take her panties off?" he murmured.

Marry Me, Cowboy is so worth the wait. It's gripping, it's tender, and it'll make your heart hurt. Lost chances, private desires, unseen honor and misplaced loyalty—Law blends them all into a romance made all the sweeter by the number of setbacks it has to overcome.

Jax is so in love, and so certain he isn't good enough for Mary Catherine. Mary Catherine knows she's broken, but believes she's lost Jax forever, and doesn't have the energy to start fixing. The author steers away from the expected—Mary Catherine's fiancé, for example, doesn't completely understand her, but he's a truly nice guy with her best interests at heart. The stepmother, on the other hand, is in the same league as Claire's mother—the good news is, she does suffer a setback in the end. Speaking of the end, one of the characters makes a decision that should have belonged to Mary Catherine, but that decision and its timing set up an adorable twist that had me cheering. The sexual tension is sky-high, reader gratification higher. You should definitely say yes to Marry Me, Cowboy.

Kathy Altman's latest contemporary romance novel is Staying at Joe's. Kathy prefers her chocolate with nuts, her Friday afternoons with wine and her love stories with happy ever afters. Her website is KathyAltman.com.